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Senator Leahy calls on USDA to raise minimum broadband speeds for rural Vermont and rural America

"Rural America continues to lag behind the rest of the country when it comes to broadband deployment," Leahy said.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, asking him to use his existing authority to raise the minimum broadband speed that determines funding eligibility for the Farm Bill broadband loan program.

Leahy’s letter follows his successful inclusion of report language in the Fiscal Year 2016 Agriculture Appropriations bill directing USDA to implement the broadband provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill (link is external), including the authority to review and raise the minimum speed established by the bill. Leahy is a leading member and a former chairman of the Agriculture Committee, which handled the Senate’s work in writing the Farm Bill.

Full Story: http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/february/leahy-calls-usda-raise-minimum-broadband-speeds-rural-vermont-and-rural-america

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